Having a new, pain-free body in heaven will be wonderful. But even better will be having a new heart, free from sin. Get your heart ready for your heavenly home by actively saying no to sin and yes to the cleansing power of Jesus!
Thank you for letting me share hope in your hardship today.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and please don’t be thinking that I’ve, you know, got it all together, spiritually. I’m far, far from it. There is so much wickedness hiding in the crevices of my heart, and so every day when I wake up, every morning, I confess my sins, I ask God to search out my sins, any that might be lingering undercover. And God always honors my request. Day by day, the Holy Spirit still searches, still tests and tries me, as Psalm 139 says. He is all about seeing “if there is any offensive way in me,” and leading me “in the way everlasting.” It’s why you will often hear me quoting from memory the general confession from the Book of Common Prayer, which I memorized as a child growing up in the Reformed Episcopal Church. It goes: “Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us.”
Wow. I love that confession, but I hate that confession. I love the familiar words and the memories that accompany them. But it is still a grief to me that I still need this confession. Time and again I still err and stray from God’s ways. Time and again I follow too much the desires of my own heart, rather than God’s. I keep leaving undone the things which I ought to have done, and I don’t do the things which I should do. And so, this confession from the Book of Common Prayer is an accurate snapshot of my soul. But, oh, how I long for the day when I will no longer need to repeat it. When there will be no more need for confession of sin.
You probably know that I’ve written quite a bit about heaven and how much I look forward to a new body that jumps, a body that dances and runs. It’ll be glorious beyond words – a glorified body that will not struggle with pain or disease. But as nice as a new body will be, I am mostly looking forward to a new heart. I want a changed heart that fits well into heaven. I want a heart that no longer twists the truth, resists God, looks for escapes, gets defeated by pain, and chooses the mediocre path. I want a heart that no longer tries to justify itself; a heart that doesn’t squirm to get its own way or get anxious and worried about the future. That will be heaven for me. As the old hymn says, “When by his grace I shall look on his face, that will be glory, be glory for me.” What a glory to have a new heart, and it is a glory today – right now – to cultivate such a heart. And when I say cultivate, I mean to actively say no to sin and yes to the cleansing power of Jesus Christ – to actually turn from those habits that you know full well are wrong.
So today, although having a new body free of disease and pain will be wonderful, even more glorious will be your new heart in heaven. So, get your heart ready for your heavenly home. As James 3:2 says, “We all stumble in many ways,” but there is forgiveness, there is mercy, and there is soul-shaking resurrection power available to help you say no to sin and yes to godly living. It’s how you prepare yourself for heaven every day. And so, today, ask the Holy Spirit to help you clean out your heart and get ready to praise the Lord Jesus for all of eternity.
© Joni and Friends